Russia

This season's European Cup Final - likely to be the last under the current format - will be played at the Nou Camp Stadium, home of Barcelona.

Alexandru Siperco, veteran Romanian member of the IOC who persuaded Communist authorities to compete in the 1984 Los Angeles Games, died on Monday. He was 78.

The race to take over the troubled Russian Football Union (RFS) warmed up on Wednesday when the head of the Russian league, a harsh critic of the RFS boss, joined the list of candidates for the post.

Russia's skiing federation (RSF) has been forced to cancel two World Cup cross country skiing races because of lack of funds, a senior federation official has said.

Swedish construction company Skanska AB has said it has won a contract worth 560 million crowns ($69 million) to build a sports centre in St Petersburg for the ice hockey world championship in 2000.

The bitter battle for control of Russian football has heated up with the head of the league questioning the veteran federation boss about allegations that large sums were diverted from soccer into banks abroad.

Vyacheslav Koloskov, president of the Russian Football Union (RFS), has won a bitter struggle to keep control of the country's soccer for another five years.

Six men accused of the 1997 contract killing of the head of the Russian ice hockey federation have gone on trial in Moscow at the fourth attempt.

Osaka, Japan's second largest city, has formally launched its bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics saying its campaign would mark the rebirth of "clean" Games.

Russian basketball champions CSKA Moscow have called off Friday's friendly against Partizan Belgrade because the Yugoslav side cannot travel to Russia.

Three Russian sports bodies have been forced to call off tours to the United States because of the Kosovo crisis.

Russia will submit an official application to UEFA to host the European Championship finals in 2008 within the next two weeks, the country's soccer chief has said.

Russian champions Spartak Moscow will appeal against an order banning fans from tomorrow's home match after their followers clashed with police at their lastgame.

Hosting major events in Russia last year was a financial disaster, the country's athletics supremo Valentin Balakhnichyov said recently.

Action Sports International, a multi-dimensional company that manufactures, distributes and licenses Generation X and Y products have signed a distribution agreement with Trans National Sports one of the largest Eastern European distributors of sporting goods and apparel.

In a move aimed to ensure Europe's elite clubs have a say in European competition decision-making, a UEFA Club Advisory Board is to be created comprising members of some of Europe's top clubs. The clubs will co-operate with the Committee for the UEFA Club Competitions.